Things to Learn About Power BI
On the surface, Power BI looks like an easy to learn Microsoft tool, however what most people think they need to learn is often not even half of what they need. There is so much to learn to be good using Power BI.
In summary you need to learn the following:
- Data Modelling: This is the process of taking your data and turning it into something more useful than just raw data. Power BI has a revolutionary engine to help you do this called Power Pivot. The data modelling language is DAX (Data Analysis and Expressions). Power Pivot is part of Power BI. Once you learn how to use Power Pivot you will be well on the way to becoming a Power BI expert.
- Data Acquisition: In short, this is the process of fetching your data from where ever it lives, importing it into Power BI and then cleaning and shaping it to meet your needs. Power BI has another revolutionary tool to help you do this called Power Query.
- Data Visualisation: Once you have loaded your data and have the database designed to answer the business questions you have, you then need to visualise the data. Power BI has a brand new visualisation engine that is in a continuous state of improvement. There is a bit of a hump to get started, but with a small amount of guidance you will be off and running.
About Matt Allington
Matt Allington is a data platform expert and has been training Power BI for more than 5 years. Not all Power Pivot, Power Query and Power BI training is created equal. The training courses are developed and taught by Matt Allington who is a Microsoft MVP specialising in the Microsoft Self Service BI Products. When it comes to Power BI training, Sydney sider Matt has the ability to transform the seemingly complicated into easy to comprehend learning.
Matt is the author of the best selling books Supercharge Power BI and Supercharge Excel.
Matt offers various learning options to suit your Geo-location, time, requirement and level of expertise.
The following are the various service offerings available. The details for each of these learning options are given below.
| Training Options to Learn Power BI from Matt Allington |
|---|
| Skill Area | Face to Face Training (Australia) | Online Training (Global) |
|---|---|---|
Building and Sharing Reports - Building in Power BI Desktop and Sharing in Power BI.com | ||
Data Modelling - Learn to Write DAX | Supercharge Power BI Online Training - Includes live Q&A sessions | |
Power Query - Data Acquisition, Transformation & Cleansing | ||
Data Modelling Advanced Topics - Complex DAX Concepts |
Live Training
Power BI Live Training
Matt delivers live class room training in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane throughout the year. The training is for 2 days and can be taken as a standalone 2-day course, or as two separate training programs.
- 1 Day Introduction to Power BI (6 CPD hours)
- 1 Day Data Modelling with Power BI and Power Pivot (6 CPD hours)
At the end of the 2 days you will be well on you way to becoming a Power BI, Power Pivot and Power Query ninja.
All participants will receive the certificate of completion at the end of the course.
Participants registered for the 2nd day of training will receive a copy of Matt’s book “Supercharge Power BI”.
The live Power BI training details and schedule are given here.
Online Training
If you prefer online training, you have the following courses by Matt Allington.
Supercharge Power BI Online Training
Power BI is better when you learn to write DAX
With the right Power BI online training course anyone can learn to use Power BI. But if you want to Supercharge Power BI, you really need to learn the DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) language. This is a high quality Online Power BI training course that will teach you how to get the most from this tool. Participants of this hands-on Power BI online training program will soon realise there is so much more you can do with Power BI once you learn to write DAX.
This Power BI online training course is a combination of:
- Self-paced remote learning using one of Matt’s books – Supercharge Power BI or Supercharge Excel. (3 hours per week for 5 weeks – 15 CPD hours)
- The books have several worked out examples and practice exercises to cement your learning.
- Weekly video based training with examples and demos to support the complex topics in the book. (1 hour per week for 5 weeks – 5 CPD hours)
- Weekly live screen sharing Q&A sessions with Matt Allington. (1 hour per week for 5 weeks – 5 CPD hours)
Total CPD hours = 15+5+5 = 25 hours.
This online Power BI training course will teach you how to use the data modelling capabilities in Power BI Desktop and Power Pivot for Excel.
All participants will receive the certificate of completion at the end of the course.
Supercharge Power BI Online Training details and next semester schedule can be found here.
Power Query Online Training for Excel & Power BI Professionals
Power Query is a revolutionary tool to help Excel and Power BI Professionals get easy access to the data they need to do their job. Power Query is easy to learn, and you can super charge your learning experience with this Online Training course specifically targeted to you. This is a self-paced course with worked out examples illustrating the concepts. You can use the sample workbooks provided with the course material to follow through the examples and practise yourselves.
You can preview videos and find the course content for Power Query Online Training here.
Foundations of Power BI – Data to Dashboard Online Training
Do you want to have a kick-start on using Power BI to create and share reports? Then this is right course for you. You will understand the Power BI Desktop features and learn how to create different types of reports. You will also learn how to share your reports, create Dashboards on Power BI.com, use the Power BI features such as Q&A, Quick Insights, Analyze in Excel, etc. You will also get an introduction on Power Query to load and shape data to put it in the required format for preparing the reports.
You can find the Data to Dashboard Online Training course content and details here.
Corporate In-House Training
If you want a customised training with your data and/or have more number of people to be trained you can opt for a tailored in-house training course. To discuss your specific needs and understand how this training can help you achieve your goals, contact Matt to discuss today! Give the details in the form provided here.
Remote Help & Support
You may have working knowledge of Power BI but need help from time to time to solve complex business problems and/or create reports with the changing needs. You can get remote help and support in such cases. Read more information here.
Power BI Consulting
One of the challenges of getting started with Power BI is getting over the hump of there being so much to learn. It is not that you can’t do it, it is just that most people need some help getting started. This is where Matt Allington comes in. There are many ways you can leverage Matt’s skills, knowledge and experience.
Matt can:
- Come on-site and meet with the key people in the organisation that want to get started with Power BI. This can be one or more people depending on the circumstances.
- Work with you online remotely anywhere in the world.
- Deliver training to the key Power BI business users so they can learn the skills needed to be successful.
You can find more about Power BI consulting here.